'Shincheonji Political Intervention' and 'Anti-Myung Factionalism'... Intensifying Intra-Party Strife Ahead of DPK Convention

Cho Seung-lae: "Turning a Blind Eye to Phantom Party Members Is False"

Minseok Kim: "There Is Evidence... Will Be Disclosed Soon"

The suspicion of political intervention by Shincheonji is emerging as a new flashpoint for the Democratic Party of Korea's August 17 national convention. Both inside and outside the party, political conflict is intensifying, with harsh terms such as "anti-Myung factionalism" and "the stench of rot" being used.

Assemblyman Cho Seung-lae, who previously served as Secretary General of the Democratic Party, posted on social media on July 22, stating, "I would like to clarify the facts regarding completely baseless falsehoods such as 'involvement with Shincheonji' or 'turning a blind eye to phantom party members.'" Cho explained, "We cross-checked the addresses of religious organization offices and churches nationwide with the party member registry, but found no matches. Claims that the party condoned or tolerated membership by a particular religious group are also untrue."

Candidates for the Democratic Party of Korea's leadership attended the fair election pledge ceremony held at the National Assembly on the 20th, signed the document, and took a commemorative photo. From left: Bomi Kim, Cheongrae Jeong, Minseok Kim, Mijin Ko, Younggil Song. 2026.7.20 Photo by Hyunmin Kim

The suspicion of Shincheonji's political intervention is being raised continuously by Minseok Kim, a candidate for Democratic Party leader. At a joint pre-primary speech on July 20, he stated, "Breaking the secret three-way alliance between the anti-Myung faction, divisionists, and Shincheonji is the essence of this national convention." The following day, he added, "I have evidence related to Shincheonji and will release it at an appropriate time."

Regarding claims that Cheongrae Jung, another candidate, is linked to the Shincheonji intervention allegations, Kim responded, "Regardless of what the media or those involved may think, I do not believe this is a matter for which I should be held responsible." In contrast, Jung stated, "If my image is tarnished by fake news or manipulated information, I will pursue strong legal action."

As the primary heats up, there has even been an incident in which Jung's campaign vehicle was attacked. Jung's camp issued a statement saying, "We deeply regret the threats and violence directed at our candidate, who was inside the vehicle at the time."

Writer Yoo Shimin's blunt criticism of President Lee Jae-myung, including phrases such as "the stench of a fish market," is further fueling tensions. On a YouTube channel the previous day, Yoo asserted, "Everything New Lee Jae-myung does is not just disorder caused by self-proclaimed pro-Myung supporters, but something designed by the President and certain aides." In response, Kim stated, "Words like 'inevitable defeat' or 'the stench of rot' do not belong to the language of comradeship and affection," adding, "The baseless prophecies predicting the inevitable defeat of the Lee Jae-myung administration will themselves inevitably fail."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.